Scams threaten potential victims with arrest, murder; promise money

MOJAVE COUNTY, Arizona — Mohave County Sheriff’s Office warned the public Tuesday of three prevalent scams it is seeing, including an IRS impersonation by phone, an email scam seeking secret shoppers and an email alleging a plot to kill the victim.

Fake IRS agent

In the first scam, victims receive calls from a person who claims to be from the IRS. The representative claims the victim owes back taxes and must pay immediately otherwise a warrant will be issued for their arrest. In some cases, the representative has been reported to say the sheriff will be at their residence today to arrest them. The representative then strongly urges the person to pay via a credit card or to stay on the phone with them as they drive to the bank to obtain a money order or a cashier’s check. Often these false IRS representatives have strong Indian accents. The IRS and the sheriff’s office do not conduct business in this manner.

Fake invitation to be a secret shopper

Another scam has been reported of people receiving emails asking participants to be a secret shopper. The emails say money will be sent to them in a cashier’s check for reimbursement. The victim is told to keep $200 for themselves and then their first assignment is to go to Wal-Mart and purchase two money grams. The victim is further advised to mail the money grams to two different addresses.

Fake threat of murder

The third scam reports that a person emails their intended victim, claiming they know someone will kill the victim and make it look like an accident. The person states they don’t know the victim or the supposed murderer, but they have a recorded conversation that will prove this plan exists. The scam artist then asks for money before they can disclose the entire plan and send you the video.

What to do

Neither the sheriff’s office nor the IRS will contact you in the manner stated.

The Sheriff’s Office recommends you hang up on scammers that call and delete scam emails. Often, scammers will continue to entice the unsuspecting victim when they get a response via email or by staying on the telephone with them.

Always be cautious when it comes to sending money, providing personal information including credit card numbers over the phone or email.